Method of registering a plate for successive photographic printings and master or model plate for same



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,325. J, H. POWRIE. METHOD OF REGISTERING A PLATE FOR SUCCESSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTINGS AND MASTER 08 MODEL PLATE FOR SAME.

FILED JAN. 6, 1919 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I, H. POWRIE.

Dec. 19, 1922.

METHOD OF REGISTERING A PLATE FOR SUCCESSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTINGS AND MASTER 0R MODEL PLATE FOR SAME.

3 SHEETSSHEET Z.

FILED JAN.6, I919. jQ/f 3.

. l I I T l I Dec. 19, 1922.

J, H. POWRIE.

METHOD OF REGISTERING A PLATE FOR SUCCESSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTINGS AND MASTER 0R MODEL PLATE FOR SAME.

3 SHEEIS-SHEEI 3.

RED

fwPj LZZ 7 @WQLQ Patented Dec. 19, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFKIE.

JOHN H. POWRIE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD 0F REGISTERING A. PLATE FORSUCCESSIVE PHOTOGRAIPHIC PRINTINGS AND MASTER OR MODEL PLATE FOR SAME.

Application filed. January 6, 1919. Serial No. 269,747.

To ('17? who). it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN H. Powurn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York *ity. county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Methods of Registering a Plate for Successive Photographic Printings and Master or Model Plate for Same, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in a method for registering a plate, film or similar article which is to have a pattern printed thereon in successive operations from a model or master plate so that the plate, film, etc, after one element of the pattern has been printed thereon. may be accurately registered by the eye with the model or master plate for a second print without other instrumentalities, and to the master or model plate per so by which the printing is effected. and the invention has been designed especially for the production of the fine lined tricolor screen plates or films used in color photography, and the invention will he described as employed in such screen production, though the method of registration and the master or model plate may he used in other relations and for other )urposes.

In a prior United States atent No. 802471, 'ranted to me, Oct. 24, 1905. there is shown a color screen in which there are produced photographically on a plate recurring patterns of juxtaposed lines or hands of alternating green, red and blue colors. These hands or lines are of exceeding fineness, ocing from 204) to 400 to the inch, and may, for some purposes. be greatly in excess of such numbers. In the production of such a color screen, one set of lines was printed on the plate through a model or master plate having a series of printing lines and a series of opaque lines or hands twice the width of the printing lines. ll hen the screen plate was exposed under this model or master plate, there printed a series of lines with an unprinted space between twice the width of the printed lines. These lines were colored in one color, as, for instance, green. In printing the next series of lines from the master plate. it was necessary to shift these plates relatively each other so as to cover up with the opaque portion of the printing plate the green printed lines, and to bring the printing line of the model or master plate in exact juxtaposition to the printed lines of the screen, so that the next line would be printed adjacent to and exactly parallel with the lines already printed, Owing to the fineness of the lines, registration by ocular perception alone was impossible with the plates as produced prior to this invention, and the registration had to be done under a high power microscope.

It is the especial obiect of the present invention to provide a method of registering by ocular perception alone a screen plate or film having one element of a design printed thereon in fine lines, dots or other regular recurring pattern with a model or master plate or film for a second printing, so that a screen plate with one design element printed thereon may be quickly accurately registered, the method of registering and the master plate being such that the registration may be effected ocularly in spite of the fineness of the lines, thus doing away with the use of the microscope and remleringthe printing of such plates commercially practicable.

Generally speaking, the invention will he carried out by producing on or near the margin of the master plate or model a registering patch or patches of alternating transparent and opaque elements which hear certain relation to the pattern to be printed and which at the first printing are reproduced in the margin of the screen plate, the screen plate being registered with the model by these patches for the second printing, the plates being shifted for the second printing to produce either an ocular perception of color in the margin, or an ocular perception of an absence of all color in the margin and the loody of the screen plate, as more specifically described below.

lVith the objects referred to and others not specifically mentiored in view, the vention will he descrioet in deta For a complete understanding there in connection with the accompanying drawings, which have been designed to show, as tar as it can he done, the registering method and the master plate for carrying the method into effect.

in the drawings Figure l is a lace view of the novel master or model plate for ting the screen with recurring parallel lines or hands showing the registering patches in two opposite margins, the lines or hands being shown on a very much enlarged scale for the purpose of clarity;

Figure 2 is a face view of the screen plate superposed on the master plate the screen plate being partly broken away, in the position of the plates where the first lines (green) have been printed the scale being the same as that of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a divided face view partly broken away showing the screen plate with the green lines printed thereon superposed on the master plate in shifted or registered position ready for the printing of the second series of lines in juxtaposition to the printed green lines and on the left side thereoit' the parts bein shown on the same scale as Fig) l;

Figure is a view similar to Fig. 3, and on the same scale, showing the position the two plates occupy relatively to each other when in registered position for printing the second. series of lines in juxtaposition to the first printed linesrbut on the right hand side thereof;

Figure 5 is a vice similar to Fig. 3.. showa modification oi the registering patches Wnieh may be employed to register the plates so that the second series otlines may be printed exactly midway ot the lirst printed lines; and

6 is view similar to hip: 5. showing the second lines printed midway of th irst printed lines.

.lerring now to the drawings in detail the invention has been illustrated as employed in the production of a tricolor lined screen plate, in which either juxtaposed parallel lines ot green, red and blue succ ecl each other across the plate, as shown l to 4i or parallel lines having a blue line on. each side or the red follow across in yurrtaposed position, though it Will be that the invention may be ezznployeol in the production of two colored screen plates and in the production of cerin products other than colorscreens.

in the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated there is provided a model n1" master plate from "which the screen plate is printed photographically, as described in my prior patent above referred to. This .ncdel may be formed on any suitable surface, such as a glass plate or a him. As "been, it is termed on a plate glass marked The model or master plate illustrated is intended for use in printing a pattern consistin of parallel juxtaposed lines which will be green, red and blue. The lines to be printed as shown in Figs. 1 to l are of substantially equal Width and recur in the order or the colors named across the plate. The master or model plate has "formed. preterahly photographicall;' on its surface parent lines being 2 to l, and a pattern ordesign inchnling; one or" these transparent lines or bands and one opaque band will be termed the interval of the body of the plate.

The master or model plate 1 has torrned in two opposite margins and preferably extending across the plate registering patches. these patches being preferably of two characters, as hereinafter referred to, and including alternating transparent and opaque elements. Along the two opposite margins, as l, 5 oi the plate, except for a small space in the center, there are formed alternate transparent and opaque patches in the form of lines or bands. "the opaque lines which are shown as black bein marked 6 and the transparent lines or hands or spaces being marked i'. These opaque and transparent registering bands are each one third oi the interval ot' the plate and an opaque and a transparent band may conveniently termed the margin interval this margin interval in the plate illustrated in llios. 1 to being two thirds of the interval or the body portion of the plate these proportions, or" course, may be "Widely varied but it has been found in actual practice in producing; a three color screen plate that a margin interval of two th (is of the body interval produces good While the master or rnodel plate formed "with a registering interval two thirds ot the body interval, as above described is effective and can be used for *arryingr out the invention, for very great accuracy and particularly Where a plate with a great number of v lines to the inch is to printed in the best practice of the invention the plate is provided with what may be termed auxiliary registering patches. As illustrated. these auxiliary patches are Formed centrally in two opposite margins of the plate. these patches being: preferably opposed to each other and being generally marked 8. This auxiliary patch is formed by producing in the margin alternate opaque and trans 'mrent patches in the forrn oi bands or lines. 'lhc bands or lines of the auxiliary patch arc finer than the margin intervals be'lore re terred to but they will bear a certain definite proportion or relation to the interval ot' the body ot the plate. This proportion may be Varied, of course. within wide limits. but in the particular construction illustrated there are nine opaque and transparent bands to a body interral. these being inarlred. spectireiy, 9 10. This auxiliary patch with a very small margin interval relatively to the body interval enables an exceedingly accurate ocular registration of the plate.

In carrying out the invention, a plate coated with a substance sensitive to light, suchas bichromated gelatin, is superposed on the model or master plate, exposed, and the lines, rendered insoluble by the action of the light, dyed with a suitable green dye. This will produce the plate shown in Fig. 2, in which thebody of the plate is printed with green lines 11, separated by clear spaces 12, twice the width of the printed lines, and the margin intervals 13 and auxiliary margin intervals lt are produced in a green color, and in proper relation with the body intervals. I

The plate is again coated with a suitable light sensitive substance as bichromated gelatin, and is again superposed on the model or master plate, in the position in which it was originally printed; that is, so that the body of the plate and the margin patches show a green color throughout. It is now necessary to shift the plates relatively to each other to bring the printed green lines under the opaque lines of the master or model plate, leaving the printing lines of the master or model plate in exact juxtaposition to the lines printed on the screen plate for the second printing:

This may be effected either as illustrated in Fig. 8, or as shown in Fig. 4. Referring first to Fig 3, the operator, through any suitable devices, which form no part of the present invention. shi ts the plates relatively to each other, preferably shifting the screen plate relatively to the n'iaster or model plate.

As shown in Fig. 3, he slrirts the plate slightto the right until no color appears either in the main and auxiliary margin patches in the body of the I" T he plate has thus been shifted one a main margin interval but only a third of a plate body interval. By this movement, the green marginal patches 11 are now covered up by the c aque bands of the model inted lines been moved that they new covers: by the left halves the opaque bands of the body c :ul'sster plate, the e in this position sh wing color and indicating to the operator that the plates in position to bring the next printing ll es in exact juxtaposition to the first lines the margin patches on the the suthe top and bottom of the plate permitting plate to be squared up truly, so that the perposed lines of the screen plate and master plate are parallel.

If desire and for better ocular perce L fees may be shifted as shown in Fig. l, in which the screen plate from the position shown in Fig, 52 moved to the right a full inar in interval and two thirds of a body rval. llhen in this position,

been set the plate is again coated and the.

third seriesof lines are printed in the interval left in the remaining third of the'body interval, no registration being necessary to effect this,

Under some circumstances it may be desirable to split the blue lines, that is to say, to print a blue line on each side of each red line between it and the green of one half the width of the green and red lines. To effect this, the red lines are printed second midway between the green lines. In Figures and 6 is illustrated a modified spacing of the registering patches by which this registration may be effected by ocular perception. As shown, here the interval of the main registering patches comprising an opaque and a transparent band 26 and 21, respectively, is one-half of the interval of the plate body. and the auxiliary registering patches have four transparent bands 22 and four opaque bands 23 to a plate body interval. The method of registration and of printin the plate is similar to that already described, the plates being shifted for registration until the main and auxiliary patches show the color first printed without show of color in the body of the plate.

It will thus be seen that a very simple but effective method of accurately registering a lined plate for printing a second series of lines thereon by ocular perception alone has been provided by the use of the marginal patches divided up into intervals smaller than the intervals of the body of the plate. l fhile the proportion and arrangenent shown are convenient ones, i have Jen by practice to produce goon results. it will be understood that the invention is in nowise restricted to the relative roporion oi the margin intervals and the plate body intervals shown, but that such proportions can be varied as desired te effect the result. it will be further understood that the invention is not restricted to the production of a color screen in which the pattern a recurring one of parallel lines, but that it may be used equally well in the production of screens having any regular recurring pattern of lines, dots or figures. it will be further ur. derstood that the terms screen elen1entz1nd sensitsurface as used in the claims will include a screen. made on a plate, film or the like, and asensitive surface which may be a plate, film or other surface capacitated to carry a sensitized coating, and the claims should be so interpreted.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of producing screen elements which consists in photographically printing onto a sensitized member from a model, an element of a design, and a registering patch of alternating transparent and opaque elements, registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance or the registering patches to enable another element of the design to be printed in determined relation with the one first printed, and then printing another element of the design while the model and sensitized member are in registering position.

2. The method of producing screen elements which consists in photographically printing onto a sensitized member from a model, an element of a design, and a registering patch of alternating transparent and opaque elements similar to the elements of the design but of a different proportion therefrom, registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance of the registering patches to enable another element of: the design to be printed in determined relation to the one first printed, and,

then printing another element of the design while in registered position.

3. The method of producing screen elements which consists in photographically printing onto a sensitized member from a model an element of a design, a main regis tering patch of alternating transparent and opaque elements, and an auxiliary registering patch of transparent and oqaque elements of different proportions from the elements in the main patchi'registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance of the registering patches to enable another element of the design to be printed in determined relation to the one first printed, and then printing another element or" the design while in registered position.

4. The method of producing screen elements 'which consists in photographically printing onto a sensitized member from a model an elementot a design and a registering patch having alternately transparent and opaque elements, registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance of the registering patches to enable another element of the design to be printed juxtaposed to the one first printed, and then printing another element of the design while in registered position. x

5. The method of producing screen elements which consists in printing from a model an element ot'a design on a sensitized member and registering patches in each margin, each patch composed of alternately transparent and opaque elements of different proportions from the design element, and an auxiliary registering patch in each margin composed of alternately transparent and opaque elements different in proportions from those of the main patches, registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance 01 the registering patches to enable another element of the design to be printed in determined relation to the one printed, and then printing another elementot the design while in registered position.

6. The method which consists in photographically printing on a sensitized member from a model one element of a design, and a registering patch oi transparent and opaque elements, registering the printed sensitized member with the model by the ocular appearance of the registering patches, and then printing another element of the design while the model and sensitized member are in registered position. 7. A model for photographically printing a design having a body portion of alternate transparent and opaque areas extending substantially over the entire printing surface of the model for printing one element ot a design, and a registering patch of alternate transparent and opaque elements through which a similar registering patch may be printed on a sensitized memher. i

8. A model for photographically printing a design having a body portion of alernate transparent and opaque areas for printing one element of a design, a main registering patch ot alternate transparent and opaque elements, and an auxiliary registering patch adjacent the main patch having alternate transparent and opaque elements of a dit' terent proportion from the elements of the main patch, through which registering patches a similar registering device may be printed on a sensitized member.

9. The method of producing screen elements which consists in photographically printing from a model a series of spaced parallel lines on a sensitized member and a registering patch at a side thereof, registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance of the registering patches to enable a second series of lines to be printed in determined relation to the one first printed and then printing a second series of lineswhile the model and sensitized member are in registered "position.

10. The method of producing screen elements which consists in photographically printing on a sensitized member "from a model a series or parallel lines spaced from each other twice the width of a line and a registering patch at a side thereof, registerthe printed member with the model by ocular appearance of the registering patches to enable a second series of lines to be printed between the lines of the first series leaving unprinted areas. printing a second series of lines while the model and sensitized memher are in registered position and then printing a third series of lines in the areas not occupied by the first two series printed.

11 The method of producing screen elements which consists in photographically printing from a model an element of a design on a sensitized member and a registering patch, registering the printed member with the model by the ocular appearance. of the registering patches toenahle another element of the design to be printed in determined relation to the one first printed, and then printing another element of the design While the model and sensitized member are in registered position.

12. A model for photographically printing a design having a body portion of alternate transparent and opaque parallel lines extending substantially over the entire printing surface of the model for printing a. series of lines, and a registering patch of alternate transparent and opaque lines of different proportions through which a similar registering patch may be printed on a sensitized member.

13. A model for photographically printing a design having a body portion of alternate transparent and opaque areas extending substantially over the entire printing surface of the model for printing one element. of the design. and a registering patch in each margin of the model of alternate transparent and opaque elements through which a similar registering patch may be printed on a sensitized member.

14 A model for )hotographically print-- ing a design having a body portion of alternate transparent and opaque parallel lines extending substantially over the entire printing surface of the model for printing a series of lines. and a registering patch in each margin of the. model of alternate transparent and opaque lines of difi'erent proportions. through which a similar registering patch may be printed on a sensitized memher.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN H. POWRIE. 

